Close Reading
of Complex
Texts
Doug Fisher
www.fisherandfrey.com
Follow me:
dfishersdsu
“Standard 10 defines
a grade-by-grade
‘staircase’ of
increasing text
complexity that rises
from beginning
reading
to the college and
career readiness
level.” (CCSS, 2010, p. 80)
Text
Quantitative
Reader
Qualitative
Cognitive capabilities
Motivation
Knowledge
Experience
Task
Teacher-led
Peer-led
Independent
Comparison of Former and CCR-Aligned Lexile Ranges
Former Lexile Range
Grade Band
K-1
2-3
4-5
6-8
9-10
11-CCR
CCR Aligned Lexile Range
N/A
450
725
420
820
645
845
740
1010
860
1010
925
1185
960
1115
1050
1335
1010
1220
1185
1385
The Power of Perception
Text
Quantitative
Reader
Qualitative
Cognitive capabilities
Motivation
Knowledge
Experience
Task
Teacher-led
Peer-led
Independent
• Density and
Complexity
• Figurative
Language
• Purpose
• Standard English
• Variations
• Register
• Genre
• Organization
• Narration
• Text Features
• Graphics
Levels of
Meaning
Structure
Language
Convention
and Clarity
Knowledge
Demands
• Background
• Prior
• Cultural
• Vocabulary
“Anyway, the fascinating thing was that I read in
National Geographic that there are more people
alive now than have died in all of human history.
In other words, if everyone wanted to play Hamlet
once, they couldn’t, because there aren’t enough
skulls!”
—Foer, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close (2005), p. 3
Text Complexity
Text Difficulty
To build strength
Less
Complex
To build stamina
More
Complex
Simply assigning hard books
will not ensure that students
learn at high levels!
Use a short
passage
Re-reading
“Read with a pencil”
Text-dependent questions
Give students the chance to struggle a bit
Creating a Close Reading
Different Readings Have Different Foci
Initial reads of the text
What does the text say?
After at least one reading
How does the text work?
Later readings of the text or related texts
What does the text mean?
Our goal with
complex text is to
slow the reader
down.
1877
What does the text say? General Understanding
What does the text say? General Understanding
What does the text say? Key Details
Select some one in your
group to read the speech
aloud.
Add pauses, inflections,
intonations, and
emphasis (prosody) to
the text.
How does the text work? Vocabulary
How does the text work? Vocabulary
What is the tone of this
speech? What words and
phrases support your claim?
How does the text work? Structure
How does the text structure convey Chief
Joseph’s mood?
How does the text work? Structure
What is it about
the use of the
word forever in the
last line, “I will
fight no more
forever” that
makes this
statement so
memorable?
What does the text mean? Inferences
Hollywood Portrayal of the Event
What does the text mean? Intertextual connections
“My son, my body is returning to my mother earth, and
my spirit is going very soon to see the Great Spirit Chief.
When I am gone, think of your country. You are the chief
of these people. They look to you to guide them. Always
remember that your father never sold his country. You
must stop your ears whenever you are asked to sign a
treaty selling your home. A few years more and white
men will be all around you. They have their eyes on this
land. My son, never forget my dying words. This country
holds your father's body. Never sell the bones of your
father and your mother.”
Joseph commented "I clasped my father's hand and
promised to do as he asked. A man who would not
defend his father's grave is worse than a wild beast."
What does the text mean? Intertextual connections
Writing From Sources
Constructed using Task Template 12:
www.literacydesigncollaborative.org
The Day the Crayons Quit
What did Duncan find when he took
his crayons out of the box one day?
Which crayons feel tired and overworked?
What are Yellow and Orange arguing about?
Use Key Details to Locate Evidence
Use Key Details to Locate Evidence
•
•
•
•
•
How does Gray Crayon feel?
Why does Beige Crayon feel underused?
How does Blue Crayon feel?
To whom was Beige Crayon's letter written?
Why does Red Crayon write the letter to
Duncan?
• According to Black Crayon, what is his main
job?
Which crayons appear sad?
Embarrassed? How can you tell?
How does Duncan respond to the letters?
TDQs for Older Readers
Which crayons write letters that mostly use
pathos (i.e., appeal to emotions) to convince
Duncan to help them?
How is Beige Crayon’s argument different
stylistically from Pink and Black crayon?
How does the structure of the letter allow the
reader to gain an understanding of the Gray
crayon’s point of view?
Close
reading is
only a
PART
of high
quality
instruction
Comprehension and Collaboration
1. Prepare for and participate in collaborations with
diverse partners, building
on each others’
ideas and expressing their own clearly
and persuasively.
K-2 Features
•
•
•
•
Following the rules of discussion
Moving from participation to turn taking
Sustaining discussion through questioning
Adult support
3-5 Features
•
•
•
•
Preparation for discussion
Yielding and gaining the floor
Posing and responding to questions
From explaining own ideas to explaining the
ideas of others
6-8 Features
•
•
•
•
Using evidence to probe and reflect
Collegial discussions include goals and deadlines
Questions connect ideas from several speakers
Acknowledge new information
9-10 Features
•
•
•
•
Use prepared research in discussion
Voting, consensus, and decision making
Ensure hearing full range of opinions or options
Summarize and synthesize points of disagreement
11-12 Features
•
•
•
•
Civil, democratic discussions
Questions probe reasoning and evidence
Resolving contradictions
Determine what additional info is needed
Students still
need to read
texts
independently
Thank you!